Beloit Health System new emergency center Open House July 17

BELOIT, Wis.—Beloit Health System is hosting a “supER” community Open House to showcase their state-of-the-art expanded Emergency Center. The event will be from 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, July 17, and families are welcome to attend.

The Open House will welcome the community for tours of the three separate treatment areas including Fast Track, Trauma, and the South Wing. As a symbolic mascot, “supERman” will be in attendance offering athletic challenges and fun for children. “SupERman” symbolizes the speed, strength and goodwill needed to effectively care for the high number of patients needing medical attention.

“Our new Emergency Center was 22 months from groundbreaking to this Open House,” explains Tim McKevett, senior vice president of Beloit Health System. “Throughout this building expansion, we were open 24 hours a day to care for patients, which made the project additionally challenging and rewarding.”

Dr. Richard Barney, Emergency Room medical director, who helped spearhead the project, commented that the new expansion is now three times the size to comfortably and confidentially treat twice the number of patients. He has arranged for the UW-MedFlight Helicopter, area ambulances and fire trucks to be on site for the Open House. “This is a very impressive new Emergency Center,” he adds, “the nicest in the state, and we are all very proud.”

The expanded ER now has a total of 27 treatment rooms, including two trauma rooms, equipped with high-tech equipment including pediatric/adult crash carts, fiberoptic camera scope, double monitors and more. Fast Track, a separate area to treat minor illnesses, is open for lesser emergencies. The new ambulance garage can hold up to six emergency vehicles, rather than just a single ambulance as with the previous garage. The treatment rooms are now larger with additional waiting areas, including a separate area for families with children.

“One of the most exciting additions is the new digital X-ray and CT diagnostic areas now located within the Emergency Department,” adds Jeannie Yowler, director of Emergency Services. “Patients no longer have to leave the ER for these tests. An all-digital diagnostic center, plus a tube system to transport specimens to the Lab, will help doctors to diagnose illnesses and treat patients more efficiently.”

In addition to the facility and medical transport tours, the Open House will offer several strength and vertical jump challenges for kids plus a coloring contest. A healthy snack will be offered in the outside tent near the helicopter pad.

The stateline area rallied to provide impressive support for this community project according to Ann Sitrick, foundation executive director. They were able to benefit from generous corporate and individual gifts to finance a portion of this improvement, along with a $282,000 equipment federal grant. Plunkett Raysich Architects and JP Cullen and Sons were contracted for the expansion.

Beloit Health System hospital is located at 1969 W. Hart Road in Beloit. For more information about the Open House, please call Community Relations at (608) 364-5206.